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sandnsea2,
Please find out from your fishermen friends where to look for these soft shell clams here in NC. There is no fishery for any other type of clam beside the hard clam/Rangia clams here in NC that I'm aware of. I just looked in the Fisheries rule book and no mention of NC soft clams.

I am by no means a clam expert although I have clammed here in NC for personal consumption for decades. (Be sure to invest in a butter knife rake if you plan on doing any clamming)

The clam used for clam and bellies is a soft shelled clam that doesn't fit entirely into its own shell

North Carolina hard shell clam most commonly found here

Okee dokee ... a little New England trivia about "clams".

The first link Bill are clams. They have the neck and are used for making fried clams, with bellies. Without bellies, they just use the neck and are not true fried clams. I believe Howard Johnsons (dating myself) would only do the "necks" and call them fried clams. Steamed clams in New England are just that, steamed in their own juice with a bit of crushed red pepper in the juice, and served with drawn butter.

The second link is what in New England are "Little Necks", they are small Quohaugs, and are served on ice, open and raw, and you have to acquire a taste for them ... and down them with a nice tangy tomato based seafood hot sauce. They are also served cooked/steamed open over linguine Fra Diavlo in Italian restaurants. But they are not clams. The larger Quohaugs are not as tender, and they are used chopped up in "clam chowder". And, another tidbit .... only in Rhode Island can you find "clam cakes". Like big hush puppies with chopped "clams" in them. Yum.

The terms have become interchangeable though.

Hope I've made you'all hungry now ... after this conversation, I need to make reservations for a flight to Cape Cod and then on to Maine for lobstah !!! omg.

The first link Bill are clams. They have the neck and are used for making fried clams, with bellies. Without bellies, they just use the neck and are not true fried clams. I believe Howard Johnsons (dating myself) would only do the "necks" and call them fried clams. Steamed clams in New England are just that, steamed in their own juice with a bit of crushed red pepper in the juice, and served with drawn butter.

The second link is what in New England are "Little Necks", they are small Quohaugs, and are served on ice, open and raw, and you have to acquire a taste for them ... and down them with a nice tangy tomato based seafood hot sauce. They are also served cooked/steamed open over linguine Fra Diavlo in Italian restaurants. But they are not clams. The larger Quohaugs are not as tender, and they are used chopped up in "clam chowder". And, another tidbit .... only in Rhode Island can you find "clam cakes". Like big hush puppies with chopped "clams" in them. Yum.

The terms have become interchangeable though.

Hope I've made you'all hungry now ... after this conversation, I need to make reservations for a flight to Cape Cod and then on to Maine for lobstah !!! omg.

Perfect post from a New Englander here. They are little quahogs and are great in chowder as that is what I use when I make it and I like to stuff them also...nothing like it.

I am laughing at Howard Johnsons..they were horrible weren't they..clam strips..tough as nails

I have to say that many won't be eating too many clams with bellies this year as they are predicting quite a red tide this year. Sad

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